Working from the h...

Working from the hills

Be a Digital Ghoomakad in this urban village that is equipped with modern infra, yet the ambiance is that of a slow-paced village with fresh air, a backyard brook and lovely locals around.

Overlooking the beautiful, snow-capped Dhauladhar, is village Rakkar, in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Although it’s just a while from the twin destinations of Dharamshala and Mcleodganj with all the modern infrastructure and facilities for any city-dweller, the village has an old-world charm and tranquility to it. Here, you get the best of both worlds and hence also known as the Urban Village. Whether it’s an offbeat and peaceful weekend getaway, a long duration of detox or the most popular – Remote Working, this place is for everybody. So far, many technology workers – Web developers, designers, coders, ML & AI professionals have visited this place, used it as their co-working space to create and collaborate, in a creative environment. The new-found freedom that they get here as compared to the cubicles of the urban offices, has had a very positive impact on their lives in general, and work in particular.

Local Dost - Mohinder Sharma

Your host at Rakkar has ages of experience living like a nomad in the hills and knows Himalayas like the back of his hand. Inspired by his was of living, he started the nomad community where mostly technology workers have visited, used it as their co-working space to create and collaborate, and build a creative environment. Hence, Digital Ghoomakad.

Rooms - 10 Mud Cottages, Mud Hostel, Tree House

Mud Cottages – Building mud houses is more art than science. Learning the right mixtures to use based on the soil you have available is more a matter of trial and error than calculation, and thus requires a certain amount of experimentation. Independent rooms with Free WIFI is available at affordable rates.

Mud Hostel & Farmstay – When travelling with friends, splitting a hotel room — preferably with multiple beds — is a common way to save money. We offer accommodation on sharing basis at mud houses and dormitory as well. We also have a camping site with tents, a tree house, and 8-bedded hostel in the organic farm next doors. All rooms are equipped with seating areas, free Wi-Fi, balcony, and a panoramic view.

Co-working Studio – We have a 20+ seater co-working studio with a high-speed internet connection and power backup. Food is served in the community dining hall on the same premises. One can also prepare his/her own food in the community kitchen.

Amenities

Essentials

Outdoor Games

Outdoor Camping

Tree House

Hot Water

High Speed Network

Self Cooking

Parking

Bonfire

You can engage in the following activities to get the most out of the place and live it like a local.

Work from Anywhere – Whether it’s a farm, a riverside spot, or a pool, this urban village is equipped with high speed internet, enabling you to work amidst pure nature away from chaos of a metro. It’s a game changer for people who work from home, startups and freelancers.

Learn Organic Farming – Your local dost is farmer and a shepherd who has years of experience living in the Himalayas. He believes in keeping the basics right – utilizing and at the same time, protecting the natural resources, for production and development of food and shelter. His knowledge of herbs and soil is an eye-opener for city-dweller and will definitely bring you back to your roots.

Exploring the Virgin Trails – The place is intentionally not marketed to avoid typical touristy crowd, it’s exclusively for MylocalDost travellers. Explore virgin waterfalls, valleys and river. Do some nature photography and get lost in the wild. You will enjoy a packed lunch by the Riverside. It’s a memorable trekking experience as reviewed by most of our travellers who have been to Rakkar.

Community Time – Spend an awesome time with lovely local community over a gala evening with folk music and dance. It’s a great cultural exchange session that revives the fading culture of a place.

Volunteering – Help the host in organic farming, shepherding, teaching local kids, cleaning the mountains, conducting workshops and a lot more of such volunteering activities in order to give back to the society and make your journey meaningful.

Exploring the village life – Take a stroll through this beautful village and meet local families who would open up their hearts and homes to host you for a cup of tea or lunch. Engage in meaningful conversation and local activities with these beautiful people.

Going the Tibetan Way – You can also go for a wonderful walk towards Norbulingka – an institute dedicated to Tibetan art and culture – worth exploring. There are some cool cafes nearby where you can grab some Italian and Continental bites.

Dharamsala – Mcleodganj – Dharamkot – You can always drive down to these tourist places which are just 10-15 kms from Rakkar.

The following are the measures that the local dost has adopted to ensure tourism does not impact the place and boost Responsible Tourism.

100% local staff – Empowering rural lives by giving them the opportunity to host travellers and earn a living directly.

Green Building – Accommodation is made from locally sourced materials mostly mud and represents the traditional architecture of the place. This ensures minimum impact to the environment and keeping alive the traditional architecture.

Organic and local food – Relish the authentic cuisine which is made of fresh farm-picked ingredients to ensure healthy living.

Energy Efficient Lights – Accommodation is equipped with energy efficient lights to ensure minimum load on the power grid.

Rainwater Collection – The host has a rainwater harvesting setup in place to reduce demand on ground water, flooding and erosion.

Solar Panel – The complete accommodation in the farm runs on solar energy ensuring use of renewable energy only and protecting the non-renewable sources for generations to come.

Waste Management – One needs to dispose plastic in the dustbins available in the premises and need to take back the waste in case of bulk plastic waste. Proper waste segregation setup is in place for effective management. Bio-waste is taken care by the local dost for the purpose of farming.

Supporting local NGOs – One can engage in various local volunteering projects that the host supports, such as environmental development, in exchange of lodging and experience. Travellers must contact us beforehand for Voluntourism as projects keep varying time to time.

Eco Cleaning Products – Eco soaps and detergents made up of microorganisms are used for cleaning purposes. This ensures minimum use of chemicals and less water pollution.

Accommodation

Rooms - 10 Mud Cottages, Mud Hostel, Tree House

Mud Cottages – Building mud houses is more art than science. Learning the right mixtures to use based on the soil you have available is more a matter of trial and error than calculation, and thus requires a certain amount of experimentation. Independent rooms with Free WIFI is available at affordable rates.

Mud Hostel & Farmstay – When travelling with friends, splitting a hotel room — preferably with multiple beds — is a common way to save money. We offer accommodation on sharing basis at mud houses and dormitory as well. We also have a camping site with tents, a tree house, and 8-bedded hostel in the organic farm next doors. All rooms are equipped with seating areas, free Wi-Fi, balcony, and a panoramic view.

Co-working Studio – We have a 20+ seater co-working studio with a high-speed internet connection and power backup. Food is served in the community dining hall on the same premises. One can also prepare his/her own food in the community kitchen.

Amenities

Essentials

Outdoor Games

Outdoor Camping

Tree House

Hot Water

High Speed Network

Self Cooking

Parking

Bonfire

Living Local

You can engage in the following activities to get the most out of the place and live it like a local.

Work from Anywhere – Whether it’s a farm, a riverside spot, or a pool, this urban village is equipped with high speed internet, enabling you to work amidst pure nature away from chaos of a metro. It’s a game changer for people who work from home, startups and freelancers.

Learn Organic Farming – Your local dost is farmer and a shepherd who has years of experience living in the Himalayas. He believes in keeping the basics right – utilizing and at the same time, protecting the natural resources, for production and development of food and shelter. His knowledge of herbs and soil is an eye-opener for city-dweller and will definitely bring you back to your roots.

Exploring the Virgin Trails – The place is intentionally not marketed to avoid typical touristy crowd, it’s exclusively for MylocalDost travellers. Explore virgin waterfalls, valleys and river. Do some nature photography and get lost in the wild. You will enjoy a packed lunch by the Riverside. It’s a memorable trekking experience as reviewed by most of our travellers who have been to Rakkar.

Community Time – Spend an awesome time with lovely local community over a gala evening with folk music and dance. It’s a great cultural exchange session that revives the fading culture of a place.

Volunteering – Help the host in organic farming, shepherding, teaching local kids, cleaning the mountains, conducting workshops and a lot more of such volunteering activities in order to give back to the society and make your journey meaningful.

Exploring the village life – Take a stroll through this beautful village and meet local families who would open up their hearts and homes to host you for a cup of tea or lunch. Engage in meaningful conversation and local activities with these beautiful people.

Going the Tibetan Way – You can also go for a wonderful walk towards Norbulingka – an institute dedicated to Tibetan art and culture – worth exploring. There are some cool cafes nearby where you can grab some Italian and Continental bites.

Dharamsala – Mcleodganj – Dharamkot – You can always drive down to these tourist places which are just 10-15 kms from Rakkar.

Living Responsible

The following are the measures that the local dost has adopted to ensure tourism does not impact the place and boost Responsible Tourism.

100% local staff – Empowering rural lives by giving them the opportunity to host travellers and earn a living directly.

Green Building – Accommodation is made from locally sourced materials mostly mud and represents the traditional architecture of the place. This ensures minimum impact to the environment and keeping alive the traditional architecture.

Organic and local food – Relish the authentic cuisine which is made of fresh farm-picked ingredients to ensure healthy living.

Energy Efficient Lights – Accommodation is equipped with energy efficient lights to ensure minimum load on the power grid.

Rainwater Collection – The host has a rainwater harvesting setup in place to reduce demand on ground water, flooding and erosion.

Solar Panel – The complete accommodation in the farm runs on solar energy ensuring use of renewable energy only and protecting the non-renewable sources for generations to come.

Waste Management – One needs to dispose plastic in the dustbins available in the premises and need to take back the waste in case of bulk plastic waste. Proper waste segregation setup is in place for effective management. Bio-waste is taken care by the local dost for the purpose of farming.

Supporting local NGOs – One can engage in various local volunteering projects that the host supports, such as environmental development, in exchange of lodging and experience. Travellers must contact us beforehand for Voluntourism as projects keep varying time to time.

Eco Cleaning Products – Eco soaps and detergents made up of microorganisms are used for cleaning purposes. This ensures minimum use of chemicals and less water pollution.

Factsheet

How to Reach –

Private Vehicle – Rakkar, Himachal Pradesh is 10 kms from the famous Dharamsala (500 kms from Delhi). One can easily drive down till the Rakkar village which has really good roads. Directions will be shared on booking.

Public Transport – Catch an overnight Volvo for Dharamsala. Catch a taxi for the Rakkar village which is just 20 minutes drive from the bus stand.

Weather Condition – The weather of Rakkar is cool throughout and this place can be visited throughout the year. The rains are unpredictable though but they are pleasant and moderate. So, one must carry a poncho especially during pre-monsoon to post-monsoon.

Remote Co-working – Startups, Entrepreneurs, freelancers love this place so if you are one of them, this place awaits you. Bring Your Own Device and let’s co-work.

Best for – Groups, Couples looking for a perfect weekend getaway. Remote workers or Digital Nomads looking for peaceful place to work from for a short or a long period. Solo travellers who are on a budget and wish to stay for a longer period of time or engage in volunteering service.

Responsible Tourism Features/Tips: “Keep the place as you wish to see when you come back”

Respect local culture: We are committed to help marginalized farmers and insulating their
culture and environment from onslaught of modern world. We request our guests to observe the
sanctity of village and respect local customs and communities. Do not talk loudly or play loud or
offensive music.

Garbage Management: There is a complete ban on burying, burning or otherwise disposing non-biodegradable or toxic waste in the village area. Dispose waste responsibly: carry back all non-
biodegradable litter, and leave campsites litter-free before departing.

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MylocalDost is a Sustainable/Responsible tourism platform, which unites travel enthusiasts with locals so that you get rich and authentic experience of the place and at the same time, bring sustainability in the lives of local communities, which are currently being severely affected by mass tourism.